An Idaho town was evacuated after a huge gas line explosion caused “rumbles” to be felt across the area.
The Canyon County Sheriff’s Office ordered the evacuation of anyone within a four-mile radius of Purple Sage Road and Duff Lane in Middleton, Idaho “due to a gas line explosion that occurred near the intersection.’
Officials urged locals to “contact anyone you might know in that general area and help get them evacuated as a safety precaution” following the accident on Thursday morning.
Authorities later reported that the gas had been turned off. “The evacuation notice has been lifted. Anyone within a 4-mile radius is being asked to shelter in place at this time,” the sheriff’s office wrote.
A “worker in an excavator dug through a 22-inch Williams pipeline, natural gas transmission line,” causing the explosion, the battalion chief said. The excavator operator suffered minor injuries and has been treated at a local hospital, he added.
Following the explosion, locals reported hearing “rumbles” nearby, sheriff’s office spokesperson Joe Decker told the Associated Press.
“The explosion was felt and the gas flow could be felt about a mile away. It was a pretty substantial explosion just due to the pressure in that line,” Middleton Star Fire District Battalion Chief David Jones said during a briefing.
“It was a pretty substantial explosion just due to the pressure in that line,” Mr Jones added. However, he clarified that there shouldn’t be an interruption in local gas service to the 10,000 residents of Middleton.
